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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Sketching can be therapeutic

Sketching can be therapeutic. Losing a pet can certainly be a major bummer but I discovered that being able to sketch out my thoughts and feelings has helped me work through the sadness and move me towards healing and celebration of my life with my first dog. This is a sketch I did of my first dog, Tucker, a Jack Russell Terrier, who impressed me as a very smart breed of canine who exhibited some very human personality traits. After 13 years, we had to put Tucker down this past summer due to his age and health complications. While it's nothing new to have a pet owner go on and on about how great their pet is or was, I am suggesting that if you are sad or hurting or need to think things through, turn to your pencil, marker, paint brush and just start moving it around. At first, everything you draw will be garbage. That's ok because your mind is filled with confusion and garbage too. But in the same way that mixing paint can be a trial and error process, so too can sketching to work through life's difficult issues and the results can be marvelous.

Thank you Amy. As it turns out, I am a classically trained graphic designer and would often sketch up my concepts with this very same line quality. Most of the time the sketches were placeholders for photos to be added later, but very often the sketch would have such a looseness that it ended up looking better, and more energetic than the final version with the photo.

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Who We Are

Urban Sketchers is a network of artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel to. Our mission is to "Show the World, One Drawing at a Time." Visit our main blog at urban sketchers dot org for more information.

Sketchers who live in and near Chicago, IL in the United States share their drawings on this blog.

Our Manifesto

1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online.
8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.